Propeller



' PROPELLER. APPLICATION F|LED JUNE 10, I919.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM DAVEY ODDY, OF LEEDS, ENGLAND.

PROPELLER.

Application filed June 10,

ToaZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM DAVEY ODDY, a subject of,the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Leeds, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propellers, of which'the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to propellers and consists in the provision of improved means for mounting wooden blades on the propeller shaft. Further, by the methods hereinafter described two or more propeller blades separately manufactured may be fas-' tened together to form a complete propeller.

' The improved means according to the present invention consists in the provision of a wedge shaped member, which engages a correspondingly shaped slot in the inner end of the blade, as an intermediateconnection between a wooden propeller blade and a member adapted to be mounted in 'anysuitable manner on the propeller boss or shaft.

To this end the blade is suitably provided with an inner. end portion or shank which is gripped between said-wedge shaped member,-which engages in a correspondingly shaped slot in the shank, and .a sleeve or Strap adapted to fit tightly aroundsaid shank.

The wedge is preferably made ofsteel and may be notched or serrated and fits accurately into the slot in the shank wider end outward.

In a preferred form of construction, as is hereinafter described, the wedges for opposite blades are made integral. In this case the sleeves also for opposite blades are preferably made integral, and can therefore be secured directly to the propeller shaft without the use of the usual metal boss. Said sleeves which are preferably of steel may be madein halves which can be clamped together by bolts or like means.

The shank is preferably cylindrical. The slot in the shank is shaped correspondingly to the wedge, the outerend being the wider,

- and the wedge is inserted laterally into it.

Said slot may be notched or serrated to correspond with any notches or serrations of the wedge, or the wedge may be dri with its Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 1) er. 1 4, 1920.

1919. Serial No. 303,174.

shanks are'connected by a double wedge, integral for.the two blades, which is inserted laterally into the slots. A sleeve which is in halves is then pla ed around the two shanks and clamped together by bolts or like means, thereby gripping the blades firmly between the sleeve and the wedge, and forming a rigid connection. In this case, when the sleeves for opposite blades are made integial, as are also the wedges, said sleeve can be secured directly to the propeller shaft without the use of the usual metal boss. Any suitable form of mounting may be employed, a convenient one being that comprising a tapered propeller shaft engaging in correspondingly tapered holes in the bosses of the sleeve, the shaft being provided with a tightening nut and being preferably keyed to the bosses.

It will be obvious that the sleeves might .be cruciform or star form, as well as the member carrying the aforesaid wedges, whereby more than two blades could very simply be secured to the same propeller shaft.

- The accompanying drawings illustrate by way of example one embodiment of my invention. In these drawings- Figure 1 is a view of the blade mounting looked at in the direction of the axis of the shaft.

Fig. 2 is a View of same at right angles to said axis Fig 3 is a section on the line III -III in Fig. 2. Referring to the drawings, the blades, which may be of similar form to the ordinary propeller blades between the points n, n and the tips, are of cylindrical form from the points 02., a to the inner ends by bolts 8', s which when screwed up pull the halves of the sleeve tight upon the blaee s? ie wedge and sleeve are ether, and form rigid co;

nhanced. by slow de cri" directly upon propeller shaft and the details of the mounting will depend on the form of the shaft. The arrangement shown, wherein the nut 70 shaft being preferably keyed to the bosses by a key m (Fig. 3) which engages with keyways in the shaft and bosses and the wedge also being bored with a hole to admit the shaft, is typical of an arrangement which might be adopted on a shaft of normal design. In this case thetapered portion of the shaft may co-act with the inner end of the shank of the blade so that on=tightening the nut 70 the blade is forced outward and therefore still more firmly gripped by the wedge. I

It will be understood that by a wedge or wedge-shaped member is meant a member that is of greater width or thickness at one end (2'. e. the outer end) than at the other end, whether gradually tapered or abruptly enlarged. Y i

What I'claim is; 1. The combination of a propeller shaft, a plurality of propeller blades having shanks provided with wedge-shaped slots, outwardly diverging wedge shaped members engaging in said slots, sleeves 'surrounding said shanks and provided with holes in which the propeller shaft engages and means on said shaft for holding said sleeves on the latter.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1,

wherein two or more of the wedge-shaped members are integral.

3. The comblnatlon as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the propeller shaft is provided with a tapered end and the sleeves with correspondingly tapered holes.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 3, I

in which the end of the propeller shaft is screw-threaded and in which the means for holding the sleeves on the shaft consist of a tightening nut on said screw-threaded shaft.

5. The-combination as claimed in claim 3, in which the shanks of the blades abut against the tapered end of the propeller shaft.

6. The combination as claimed in claim 2, in which two or more integral wedge-shaped members are provided with a hole through which the propeller shaft passes.

7. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which the sleeves consist of halves provided with interconnecting devices.

8. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which the wedge-shaped members are serrated.

9. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which the propeller shaft and sleeves are provided with keyways in which a key enages. g In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature'in the presence of two witnesses.

WVILLIAM DAVEY ODDY. Witnesses:

EDWIN ENosAMBLER, WILLIAM J NO. ADDERLEY. 

